[Q] How to avoid Xperias that crack - XPERIA X1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I personally love my xperia X1. Its a lovely piece of sleek hardware, can be easily overclocked and has a good solid metal chassy. I bought a black one from rogers and I love it. I personally havent had any cracking issues or anything, in fact my phone has been dropped on pavement 2 times and in deep snow once, and emerged without even a scratch.
Because I hate frequent hardware changes Id like to keep my xperia for a full five years and would like to buy a second phone as they are really becoming cheap now. I have had my eye on the silver phones for a while, but know they are more prone to cracking. Particularly phones made in weeks 44,45 and 46 right?
Are there any silver phones that have had this issue corrected yet and been relreaed?
When buying a phone and shopping is there a way to tell which phones will have the cracking issue? Serial or batch numbers on the box mabye.
If I am concerned should I just stick to the black ones?
Finally other than ebay does anyone know where I can get a cheap new or refurbished X1?
Any help is appreciated.

hahahhahahahahahahaha
I have a black xperia and it cracks like crazy xD and i didn't drop it once xD

Hi, if the cracking is whats got you concerned, why don't you try getting just the housing? there's guides on how to replace it, I've done it myself. Replaced both the ribbon cable and the housing.

I still have my silver X. bought it at bethefirstx1 (1st day). my housing has been replaced once because of crack. I never bumped my phone nor dropped it. but I have cracks all over it:
1. the dreaded volume button crack (2nd time after replacement)
2. the camera button crack
3. the middle area crack (rumored to have been cracked due for using a car stand, I don't have car stand but I got the crack on the same location)
4. the camera part crack up to the top of the phone
The only thing left for me to have is the crack on the stylus area and the crack on the earphone plug.
So after these years, what I can tell about it is it still cracks due to user mishandling (please correct me if I'm work I already rant a lot of times on the crack thread)
but I found out that whenever you change your battery/take off your memory card, you either use your fingernail to open the cover on one of the four areas where you can slip it. That actually inclines the cover and tilts it on the side where your fingernail opened it. Thus it results to the cracking of the opposite trapeziodal area (either the volume or camera part)
I had my keyboard replaced and the camera housing had the crack after it was replaced. (I'm thinking it was from the technician's part of re-assembling it)
Lastly, the metallic middle portion of the phone chipped off:
I think from the leather case that came with my X1, the middle part of it is exposed and I wear 'em clipped on my belt. I guess that how got it to chip off, whenever you reach your phone on your belt side you actually hold it on the expose area pressing your thumb to it to lever your fingers on the magnetized leather case to open up. For more than 3 years of doing it everyday, I guess that the reason for my crack on the metallic area.

If you live in the UK you could pay a visit to CEX also known as Entertainment Exchange, they also have a website... I bought my x1 from them about three months ago, and everything they sell comes with a 12 month guarantee be it second user or brand new.

just buy the black one, the silver ones seem to crack a lot easier. Or just get another phone that's better, they should be cheap now.
I got mine for $120 so can't complain.

Christopher888 said:
Hi,
I personally love my xperia X1. Its a lovely piece of sleek hardware, can be easily overclocked and has a good solid metal chassy. I bought a black one from rogers and I love it. I personally havent had any cracking issues or anything, in fact my phone has been dropped on pavement 2 times and in deep snow once, and emerged without even a scratch.
Because I hate frequent hardware changes Id like to keep my xperia for a full five years and would like to buy a second phone as they are really becoming cheap now. I have had my eye on the silver phones for a while, but know they are more prone to cracking. Particularly phones made in weeks 44,45 and 46 right?
Are there any silver phones that have had this issue corrected yet and been relreaed?
When buying a phone and shopping is there a way to tell which phones will have the cracking issue? Serial or batch numbers on the box mabye.
If I am concerned should I just stick to the black ones?
Finally other than ebay does anyone know where I can get a cheap new or refurbished X1?
Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought an silver x1i this 14 feb 2011 and it shows some crack on the battery-housing,flaking paint is my another problem . I'm still under warranty ..what should I do? I love x1 a lot than others do..
Sorry for bad english, hope you understand my problem..!

"Tough" Silver X1
I have a Silver X1 for about 3 years now, fell down 15 feet, hit a stone and has a tiny little dent on the screen, never had cracking problems until 2 weeks ago, fell out my hand, 3 floors down, ricocheted off a handrail and landed on concrete pavement, one crack upper right hand corner, and well usual wear and tear, the bright chrome siding wore off due to car keys in same pocket.
Don't know whether my phone actually is tough, or plain dumb luck.

Related

Stupid question (Kaiser the stunt)

Do you have any experience with Kaiser falling on the ground from - let's say 1.5 meters?
Every of my prevous phones hit the ground at leas one time (happens!). They were simple cellphones, not smart- or palm- ones. Single fall meant nothing for these devices.
What about Kaiser and its keyboard? I'm scared that first fall will be the last (death).
(Please don't answer with suggestions like "try not to drop it", ok?)
Hate to admit it but I've dropped mine a number of times. Once on cement, that scratched up the sides a bit but that's all. Other times the battery cover has come off but that's all.
Much stronger than the Blue Angel was. I dropped that phone and that was the end of it. In my mind this phone gets an A in structural design.
I like your answer very much.
dropped it numerous of times.. but only when i had it seated in its leather pocket belt.. while running, while lifting stuff, etc.
yep, mine has wacked the sideway a few times, just surface scraches. i bet if i really tired i could fill the divits in with some plastic modeling compund, sand and touch up with paint and you would nver know the diffrence.
Kyle
Only dropped it once, from about waist height onto concrete. It stayed together, and only suffered a few scratches.
My old HTC Universal was dropped several times, it never suffered more than cosmetic damage.
I think it would be more likely that either phone could suffer more damage from a drop than a normal cell phone, simply because of the larger screen. But I went through several Ipaq's that seemed to self destruct from 30cm drops onto carpet. The total lack of cosmetic damage meant i managed to get away with having them replaceed under warrenty from the big name shop I bought them from since they couldn't 'see' any damage. In comparison, the Kaiser seems a like a Sherman tank...just don't go out trying it!
I'm kind of worried about this... My k750i survived numerous drops onto concerete, followed by being kicked as it fell, causing it to cartwheel accross the floor. The Kaiser doesn't seem *that* robust, to the extent that I bought a payg sim to put in the k750i to take out with me when excessive alcohol consumption will be involved.
I haven't dropped mine once. I don't know but I protect this more than the iPhone I had. . . I almost dropped it but I caught it and it was like 3-4 feet. Seems structurally strong and not the empty plastic feeling.
Would any know where we can get the replacements parts for HTC Tilt 8925 without the front camera?
I dropped mine also. The sad thing is that I dropped it with the HTC case. HTC case does not provide protection on the sides, so I have a good indentation on the bottom right corner of the front face plate. It is right below the OK key.
It bothers me, but the phone is still good as new after the drop.
I have a bunkbed here at school, knocked it off of that a couple times, which is a good 5 foot drop. i've also fallen on it a few times while freelining. (look it up) not a scratch on it, other than from the crap NuShield screen "protector".
dropping it seems ok but dont twist it I had mine in my suit breast pocket when I took it out the screen was broken had to replace the screen the tech said it was probly from bending over and putting pressure on the screen

is this housing a rip-off?

is this housing http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260453968402&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123 a FURTHER rip-off in quality as the OEM found here http://cgi.ebay.com/OEM-SONY-ERICSS...ries?hash=item2ea6dd8d1e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
i want to buy a new housing but i don't wanna buy one with less quality than the original
what are your thoughts on the pics there?
Judging by the pics both fascias seem identical. Although don't know why this big pricing difference. Maybe the first auction is for a replica housing? Don't have large pics as the second auction so we can tell for sure.
Also, at CNN http://cnn.cn/shop/sonyericsson-xperia-c-28_638.html the housings are pricey. For me go for the second auction or buy from CNN, you will be 100% sure that the housing is the OEM.
yeah i was looking at the $24.00 on ebay too... someone should buy it and tell me how it is
i think im gonna let this pass and sell my x1 as it is, im thinking of leaning towards the touch diamond 2 i will miss my keyboard but what the heck
Yo!
I ordered the $24.00 last week... When I receive the housing parts, I will take pictures and spread the message....
Fingers crossed......
Damn the cracks....Its a pity to sacrifice a gd device just now that some gd new things are coming....senseUI....Leo...sure it'll come for d2 too.....but no KeyBoard there.....I have ur very same problem...but I'll try the case !!
Received the housings yesterday.
They're certainly not OEM (maybe the backcover is, the rest not). The outside looks quite nice finished, the set is quite complete (with some tools for the fitting). From the two sets I ordered, one has a large gluestain on the top part of the housing (below the LCD). This gluestain damaged the paint. So I decided to start transferring the phone in the other housing.
After dissecting the phone I started with the assembly of the screen part. The speaker fitted not quite nice, so took some feddling to get mounted. At last it fitted (the print on top of the speaker fitted just). Closing the top part of the housing was a mess. The snap-locks didn't snap (partly) and on one side the housing did not flush fit. The (original) screws did not fit in the thread bushings.... With some fiddling I sort of managed to fit them. Then on with the bottom part. The new chrome buttons do not fit in the new chrome housing part.......
This is were I give up for yesterday. I think I'm going to rebuild the old housing en give up on the new one....
So.....
Decide for yourself if it's worth the trouble.... The housing looks quit neat (not as good as OEM though) but the fitment process is quite troublesome. Delivery was fast and the package is complete (including self-adhesive rubber for screen and speaker fitment). I will get in touch with the guy from Ebay with my findings.... Maybe I'm doing something wrong....
Will post some pictures tomorrow or something....
thnx ur comments were of gr8 benefit to me.....will be gladly w8ing for the pics !
thnx, ur comment were of gr8 benefit to me.....will be gladly w8ing for the pics !
thnx dude, im waiting on mine to be delivered,
looking forward for more reactions...
@Fliptil
From a scale from 0-10, how hard was it to do?
Before starting myself, I want to know if i'm capable of doing this.
To be honest, I know how to fix stuff, but don't know if I can do this trick..
Thanks for sharing anyway
Does anybody know, where i can buy a non branded battery cover for my sliver x1?
It is branded with T-Mobile, but i would like to have it blank or non-branded.
An original one is 25 € in ebay Germany. That's too much. So a cheap one would be fine.
Thanks in advice for all tips!
Best regards
Jog
ebay dude, i purchased one 2 weeks ago for about 10 GBP
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170363212269
OK guys....
I managed to revive the Xperia tonight.... It has become a hybrid with the metal (original) front and black backside. The middle part is also left original. So the only part I ended up exchanging has been the back cover.
First of all; kudo's to HTC for making the Xperia somewhat sturdy (at least the inside is...). The amount of mechanical havoc tha has been put through the innards of the phone are substantial... And still everything functions!!
After the initial assembly attempt a few weeks ago, I was sure that I had wrecked my phone trying to assemble it with the new housing. Some parts did not fit really well, and the (original) screws did not quite fit the (new) threaded bushings. Halfway through the assembly process I ran into the new chrome buttons not fitting in the new chrome middle part and I gave up on assembly for the time being. After recharging myself for a couple of weeks I forced myself to take up the task of finishing the assembly of the phone tonight...
First I had to disassemble the phone (I was halfway assembling it...) again. I decided to use the original front (had some scratch damage and a very small crack) to surpass the not-fitting thread bushings in the new part. This was a problem... One of the screws had settled in the not-fitting thread bushing and decided to not unscrew, but turn the bushing in the plastic instead. After trying careful and not damaging anything for some time I decided it was time for the hobby knife and screwdriver (as crowbar...). The new front cover did not survive this operation. The screw and the innards of the phone did however!! Reassembly using the old front cover was quite easy, as was reassembly of the back using the original middle part. In the new back part was the thread bushing missing for fixation of the speaker... I used the not-fitting bushing from the front cover as bushing for the speaker fixation. Off course after I made the bushing fitting by forcing the screw in the bushing using a sturdy screwdriver and a set of pliers. This bushing was hammered (carefully...) into the location where the bushing should have been.... This sort of worked. The new back cover does not fit as neat into the original middle part as the original back cover, but it did fit (with some force). The plastic lip that fixes the SIM card was a bit to long, so I had to cut of 0,5mm to make it fit the SIM card. And last but not least only one of the two new battery covers was able to get a grip on the phone...
Then came the thrilling moment to switch on the phone.... Everything worked as if nothing had happened!! So end good all good; I have a phone that looks quite neat (part brushed metal - part black) and functions.
If it was worth the hassle... I doubt it... When you've got a phone that is in pieces and you want spare parts to repair it (as cheap as possible and you like some hobbying) then go ahead and buy this housing. If you want a phone that looks as good as new (and you don't want to risk a heart attack or nervous break down) then I guess you're better off leaving this housing as it is.... For a phone that's worth a few hundred bucks I think this housing is not OK. For a scrapheap phone that needs revitalisation for a small amount of money than it's OK.... If I had to do it all again I think I would have gone for an OEM housing.... After all, I'm happy that my phone functions again so I can leave the TYTN at home. I was to stubborn to buy another housing...
This has become quite a story, hope it will be of any help to somebody. Now I must see if I can post some images....
Grreetz,
Ronald
Some pictures.... try if it works....
Hmm i've dropped my poor x1 on the concrete sidewalk as i got out of my car.
Amazingly it must be good quality because there are a only a couple of scratches on the front and some damage on the rubber around where the
stylus is, but otherwise everything works and is functional.
What this experience did, was got me lookin for spare parts in case I'd
ever need them. As a result I ordered from the same person on eBay 2 days ago
and I just now found this post. Needless to say, I'm damn scared that I've
wasted the money. You tried to fit the black parts on a silver X1, and mine is black,
so I'm crossing my fingers that for some unknown odd fantastical reason, it fits better on the black version. Also may ask whether your model is an x1i or x1a?
I'm guessing b/c its silver its an x1i but u can nvr be to sure. As for me, mine is
a black x1a. I'll post back if i have any updates.
Hi Nick.
I've got a X1i, as you had already guessed.... The mixing of the parts is also a bit of a risk.... The chrome middle part (original) has suffered some damages during my disassembly actions to start with... And has developed some new cracks in the use as a hybrid. Maybe I've overtightened some screws, or maybe the bottom part does not fit well enough so it develops to much tension I don't know...
I've decided to use the X1 till it dies, and to buy something else (no slide keyboard) a little bit more sturdy when it does. I am not going to do any repairwork on it. The design is simply flawed, I have had it repaired at SE once, when it came back it was broken again within two months. These stories can be found al over the internet, so I am not going to repair it again (just to get it broken again). I am not careful enough for a phone like this (however, my colleague also has a X1 that's broken and he is very careful...) I guess.
Just my two cents.
thanks fliptil I'll keep those things in mind.
Before i dropped my x1 for the first time. There was some kind of defect in the silver middle part. At first it was a slight crack so i thought nothing of it, until a piece fell right out of it. Until now i've never needed to go through the process
of getting something fixed and was my experience painful. I got mine through a carrier (Rogers) so I called them on the phone. I was on hold forever, and when I finally got through they told me I had to go to a rogers store to have someone
personally take a look at it.
I got to the store, got on their phone, and was on hold for 20 minutes. When I got through they told me they would connect me to a specific department.
Another 20 minute wait.
I got through and then gave the phone to a rogers employee there. He confirmed that it should be a defect as there were no signs of dropping it and then HE waited 20 minutes while the guy on the line called sony.
I waited all that time to find out that I cannot get it replaced through my carrier but had to go through sony themselves.
I looked up some stories of experiences with SE's services and found that most (if not all) of the time they replace your x1 with a refurbished one, and I wasn't about to trade a perfectly brand new one with a minor ding in it, for
one that could be potentially scratched up and badly treated.
Now that I've dropped it though I fear that whether the defect gets worse or not I cannot get Sony's warranty on it. However, after what you've just told me I don't think I want to. Here's to hoping that i won't have to do x1
surgery anytime soon...

How durable is our HD2?

Hi,
Got my HD2 couple months back and using it with silicon cover since beginning but now I want to take the cover off and show the real beauty of the phone to everyone but I am too scared to take the silicon cover off because I am clumsy and I drop my phone way too frequently.
I know the phone looks very durable but exactly how durable is it??? can people share some experiences like oh I dropped it from 5ft and it was intact or oh I dropped it from 2ft and the screen broke etc etc.
I used to have HTC Kaiser/tilt and I dropped it way too my times without any covers but it never gave up on me.
PS: I know there is no real way to define durability of a cellphone but u know there are some cellphones which are really delicate and u have to handle them with extra extra care. While there are some like the kaiser who are made for rough use. Just want to know which category our HD2 belongs to?
not very. i've cracked my screen twice.
Osca said:
not very. i've cracked my screen twice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oops!!! sorry about that!!!
did you drop it screen facing down? or on some corner of the phone?
I've used mine without any sort of protection since the day it was released in US (end of March). It does not have a single scuff, mark, or scratch anywhere. I just dropped it for the first time a week ago from a counter roughly 2.5 feet onto a hard tile floor and still no scuff, mark, or scratch (I don't know how it fell as it was dark when it happened and I was looking in a different direction; turned my head while headphones were plugged in so it pulled it off the counter).
I'm extremely happy with the durability of the HD2.
Since Nov
Ive had my HD2 since Nov last year...
No cover no protection.. and it looks like new.. I dont know how you managed to break the screen twice.. you probably throw that phone in some weird angles.. but really does last well!
dropped mine from my lap getting out of my low car onto the bitumen and fell back down perfectly flat. absolutely smashed the screen but 2 months later its still working fine and waiting for it to die before replacing the screen. i work installing solar panels (PV) on roofs, crawling though ceilings, etc. sees alot of abuse so while the screen smashed the components inside are well placed. had it before america could get it (in australia)
i got it since 10 months now, without any cover. screen is absolutely clean, but the rest looks a bit used, but not that bad
a friend is using it without respect. throwing it over the table and such things, he never broked something on the phone.. the screen stopped working one time and he needed it to replace cause that, but it didnt break xD
another friend broke his screen when his hd2 fellt on a freakin spoon on the floor (WTF did that spoon on the floor?)
Had it 2 1/2 weeks, no scratches, no scuffs. Just annoying dust under the screen
I have mine almost a year now.
A few weeks ago he started acting weird. Screen flipped sideways and putted speaker on.
I've send it to repair and they replaced the motherboard. Everything is ok now again.
No scratches after such a long time with no screen protector.
ive dropped mine once from about 3 fet and it only made a slight scuff on the corner
ive always had a screen protector but never any other protection and it looks great for the past 4 months
very happy with it
rr5678 said:
Had it 2 1/2 weeks, no scratches, no scuffs. Just annoying dust under the screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you get dust under the screen, then it is a factory defect. Since the screen is glued to the LCD, somewhere around the edge it's not completely sealed. I have had mine for 7 months now and I do not have even ONE spec of dust under the screen, and I carry it in my pocket without any protection at all, all the time.
Halle said:
If you get dust under the screen, then it is a factory defect. Since the screen is glued to the LCD, somewhere around the edge it's not completely sealed. I have had mine for 7 months now and I do not have even ONE spec of dust under the screen, and I carry it in my pocket without any protection at all, all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I say dust, I mean there were a couple of hairs in the screen when I got it. They don't affect any viewing pleasure so I didn't return it

Dealing with cracks?

Anyone have suggestions for dealing with cracks on an out of warranty TP?
I sent my Touchpad back in February when it was in warranty, and got a new case. Then the girlfriend liked the fit on my TP better and insisted that I trade her for hers which hadn't had any issue and hadn't been back for repair.
Well, it now has cracks. There are two cracks leading from the speaker openings onto the back of the case that I was ignoring. Now there's a crack from one of the speakers to the front, which is more threatening since if the other side of that cracks the thin piece will come off...
It's like the poor TP is falling apart. I've had it in the official HP case the whole time and am extremely careful with it, of course, everyone knows that doesn't really help. It seems some of the cases were just destined to crack!
So is there anything to be done? Does anyone know how much HP charges if you PAY them to fix it? Probably too much.
What about a Skinomi case like this: http://www.skinomi.com/hp-touchpad-carbon-fiber-skin-protector.html - will that help keep piece next to the speaker from cracking the rest of the way, and maybe at least.. *sigh*... hide the other cracks?
I have a feeling that I will eventually have a pile of loose electronics in my hand here....
lotherius said:
Anyone have suggestions for dealing with cracks on an out of warranty TP?
I sent my Touchpad back in February when it was in warranty, and got a new case. Then the girlfriend liked the fit on my TP better and insisted that I trade her for hers which hadn't had any issue and hadn't been back for repair.
Well, it now has cracks. There are two cracks leading from the speaker openings onto the back of the case that I was ignoring. Now there's a crack from one of the speakers to the front, which is more threatening since if the other side of that cracks the thin piece will come off...
It's like the poor TP is falling apart. I've had it in the official HP case the whole time and am extremely careful with it, of course, everyone knows that doesn't really help. It seems some of the cases were just destined to crack!
So is there anything to be done? Does anyone know how much HP charges if you PAY them to fix it? Probably too much.
What about a Skinomi case like this: http://www.skinomi.com/hp-touchpad-carbon-fiber-skin-protector.html - will that help keep piece next to the speaker from cracking the rest of the way, and maybe at least.. *sigh*... hide the other cracks?
I have a feeling that I will eventually have a pile of loose electronics in my hand here....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know what you mean about the cracking - I think all TP users share our remorse.
I don't know what HP charges, or even if that's an option with them, considering how quickly they dropped any sort of support for us after launch.
What I've done in regards to the cracking is just dab a small amount of super glue on/in the cracked plastic (while paying mind to the speakers!) and hold it there for a hot second. Then, I throw back on the official HP case and pretend the cosmetic issue doesn't exist...... Until I find a new crack..... and then, it's rinse and repeat.
As for the Skinomi protector, I don't have one (although highly contemplating getting one, now) but, you can find it cheaper on Amazon. However, this SKIN got better reviews, plus it's cheaper!
/sigh
I also had my case replaced due to cracking around the speakers. From the sound of it, it may just always happen. I plan to just put dabs of super glue if it starts again, and not worry about it. I've heard some people saying they think it's from using a case (ie putting too much pressure on it), and others saying it's just a manufacturing defect. Unless it completely falls apart, it shouldn't really cause problems, hopefully. If anything, maybe just put it in some case, even like a TPU wrap.
the cracks on my speakers have gotten way worse
the cracks propagated to the back side, plus, cracks appear on the microusb connector as well
i feel it's cuz of the official case that's causing it
the tablet is always home, does not get that much use, it's mostly just sitting around
anyways, looking at the skinomi link, it looks pretty promising
it will hide the cracks for sure, plus, i have always hated the matte finish on the back because it's a dirt magnet
anonxlg said:
i feel it's cuz of the official case that's causing it
the tablet is always home, does not get that much use, it's mostly just sitting around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, though I can't see *how* the official case can be causing the problem.
Many people had cracks when their devices were brand new, and didn't have the case because it still cost like fiddy bux at the time. HP even tried sending out cases to people as a preventative.
Also, I "manage" four Touchpads. So far, mine is the only one that has cracked - twice now. The others also use the official case. However, only two of them get used heavily, mine and the girlfriend's. She insists that I must be rough with my Touchpad, but I am definitely not rough with it - I am extremely careful. Her case shows scars from being dropped, chewed on by dogs(!), etc... but no cracks.
I wonder if there's a "usage scenario" that causes something internal to heat causing the cracks. But I've never noticed my TP getting excessively hot. It's just whether or not you got a good backplate or not.
When I had my first Touchpad repaired under warranty, the new backplate it came with had a fit much better than any of the others we'd bought. It fit perfectly flush with the glass and had no uneven spots around the edge. None of the other Touchpads we have matched that level of fit. Unfortunately, my girlfriend took that Touchpad to gift to someone else, and left me with one of the ones that had a less than perfect fit. I think the level of fit of the original backplate has a lot to do with whether or not it cracks.
I did find a place online that sells replacement backplates, but they're like $50 a pop... Not worth it even for those of us that paid $200 for our 32gb touchpads. http://www.portatronics.com/product_info.php?info=p10245_HP-Touchpad-Backplate-Part-Only.html -- I don't know anything about that site or the part. Oddly enough, it also isn't listed if you search by category on their website. I could only find it by google search. It lets me add it to the cart, but who knows if it is actually available.
Shortly after I noticed the cracks I bought a Stealtharmor cover for the back while it was on sale.. Nearly a year later and the cracks haven't gotten any worse.

Front Bezel chips & flaking

So I have had the Z3 Compact since first week of release and from day 1, it had a tiny chip (could call it a nic) on the leading edge of the front bezel just above the magnetic port. I decided to keep it, but the number of these indentations has increased to 12.
One of these nics has flaked further to almost 2mm diameter by the top left corner.
All of the marks are on the front leading long bezel, both sides.
I always put my phone in a pocket without other items
I always lie my phone face up.
I don't use any kind of stands or holders in the car
No other phone (Moto X, Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Razr I) has ever suffered anything like this.
There are no marks on the back or front faces (cheap screen protectors on both, which usually scratch/mark easily)
I suspect its poor adhesion of the top black paint layer on the bezel, but cannot prove it obviously.
I can send it back to Sony, but they may say its not manufacturing fault and thus charge me £25 for sending it back without repairing (I find this disgraceful)
I have little experience with Sony customer service or care so it's a risk I don't really want to take.
Question, has anyone elses phone suffered in a similar way?
Or have positive (or negative) experience with Sony UK?
Thanks in advance.
You can send it back to Sony, most of the times they charge you with shipping costs yup.
Manufacturing error or not, but also try to look from their side, if it were easy to get your device repaired without costs or even replaced, more people would do it, even if it was their mistake.
So in the end they can't just believe everyone.
They will repair it when you send them, but thy might ask for repairing fees.
I'm noticing the same thing. I keep the phone in my pocket as well, but I do keep it with a leather keyholder (pretty soft leather), so I'm surprised that there are any chips/nicks at all. I actually have 3 right now, first one in just about the same place as you (above the magnetic charging port), a smaller one above the power button, and the last one in the bottom right corner of the phone.
I always assumed the metal bezels on these phones was powder-coated aluminum, which is pretty tough. Anyone know what is actually is?
Dsteppa said:
You can send it back to Sony, most of the times they charge you with shipping costs yup.
Manufacturing error or not, but also try to look from their side, if it were easy to get your device repaired without costs or even replaced, more people would do it, even if it was their mistake.
So in the end they can't just believe everyone.
They will repair it when you send them, but thy might ask for repairing fees.
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Yes I understand that, but I know that these ever increasing faults are not of my doing, but I cannot prove it.. Therefore, it is possible (maybe probable) that Sony will offer an expensive repair or simply send it back with the total cost to me being close to £30.
pipspeak said:
I always assumed the metal bezels on these phones was powder-coated aluminum, which is pretty tough. Anyone know what is actually is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe they are painted plastic but I might be wrong.
I've said before that this is one of the few annoyances I have with the build quality of this phone. The Z3 doesn't have the front and back plastic bezels as the metal frame attaches directly to the front and back glass. I don't mind the transparent plastic on the sides of the Z3C but I don't like that they needed to use plastic front and back bezels.
To answer the OP's question, i also have light scuffs and small chips on the front plastic bezel of my Z3C but the back is near perfect at the moment. If I'd have known the build quality in these areas was lacking I'd have waited until I had a case before i used it but it's too late now.
I've decided to return the phone for repair (hopefully under warranty) and have ordered several cases (I usually do this once I am satisfied that the phone is a keeper). Will keep you posted.

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